Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

Shen Wang's years in the cultivation world were not spent in vain.

Such a sinister and ancient site, coveted in the cultivation world, was a prize sought after, with some insane demonic cultivators even deliberately creating such malevolent places.

And now, he was about to use the methods of the cultivation world to draw out the evil aura from this ominous land.

The only problem was that the cultivators in this world were too weak, unable to absorb all the evil aura from the land. He had to find a way to store it.

Shen Wang looked back at the crowd behind him and said to Gu Dongting, "Dongting, protect me while I do this."

Gu Dongting stood with his sword beside him: "Of course."

Shen Wang smiled, used to being alone, but now he found... having a companion on this path felt indeed very pleasant.

Taking out a Sumeru stone from the Xuan Jade Immortal Book, he laboriously cut a mung bean-sized piece with his spiritual sense, Shen Wang already drenched in cold sweat.

The Sumeru stone, coveted in the cultivation world, was indeed not easy to refine... Shen Wang took a deep breath, squeezed out a drop of blood from his heart, and began refining it with his soul fire.

Fortunately, he didn't need to refine it too exquisitely or need too much space, as long as it could hold things.

Hastily refining the Sumeru stone, not even smoothing its sharp edges, Shen Wang nearly exhausted his spiritual power and consciousness.

By the time it was finally usable, a full five hours had passed.

The others waiting around had grown restless, complaining incessantly, "What on earth is he doing... Is he crafting something?"

"Crafting a magical artifact is not easy. Master artisans specialize in it for decades. He can draw talismans and knows formations, how could he possibly master artifact crafting as well?"

"Right, look at that unknown little stone, there's no change in its appearance at all..."

The middle-aged judge who had made a bet with Shen Wang scornfully said, "If you can't solve the problem, there's no need to pretend and waste our time. What if the situation worsens?"

Among all, only Gu Dongting had not changed his posture for hours, standing like a loyal guard, holding his sword, silently and firmly protecting the person he vowed to safeguard.

Nothing could break his oath.

As the impatient middle-aged judge stepped forward, intending to interrupt Shen Wang's work, Gu Dongting unsheathed his sword, the blade emitting a fierce aura.

The middle-aged judge retreated awkwardly: "We've been waiting for hours, it's not practical to keep waiting and pin all our hopes on him... Gu Daoist, shall we find another way?"

Gu Dongting glanced at him: "I trust him."

The middle-aged judge, helpless, muttered, "I don't know what kind of spell he's cast on you..."

Everyone could only wait anxiously.

The evil spirits around them grew in number, and from a distance, their small group appeared like a sailboat in the midst of a stormy sea, about to be engulfed by the dark waves.

Some of the more timid ones had already started crying, clinging to their companions: "I don't want to die."

A small chubby person suddenly embraced by an eight-foot-tall man: "..."

With a crack, the barrier barely maintained by the judges suddenly opened a gap. For a moment, both the surging evil spirits outside and the humans inside the barrier fell silent.

After a few seconds, the evil spirits, like wolves smelling meat, fearlessly charged at the barrier, no longer afraid of being burned by it.

With each impact, the small crack in the barrier spread further, and soon, the smooth surface was covered with numerous fine cracks.

By then, the judges' spiritual energy was almost drained, gritting their teeth, they squeezed out the last bit of their energy, shouting, "Damn it, where is the reinforcement?"

"They haven't abandoned us, left us to fend for ourselves, have they?"

"Shen Ge, how much longer?! I'm so scared!"

As the first crack completely shattered, the chubby boy no longer cared about the disdain for the towering man beside him. Both closed their eyes tightly, hugging each other and wailing, "Mom, save me, I won't be a cultivator anymore!"

With several cracking sounds, everyone's faces turned pale. Judges and examinees alike were helpless amidst this sea of evil spirits, left with no option but to close their eyes and await death.

"Why are you closing your eyes? Get up and work for me."

Instead of death, an impatient voice was heard.

Bai Fuchun peeked out from Chou Yin's embrace, seeing Shen Wang standing up surrounded by dozens of floating talismans that blocked all evil spirits.

The talismans emitted a faint golden glow, enveloping Shen Wang. Seeing this familiar scene, the chubby boy burst into tears, "Shen Ge, what took you so long? We were almost done for!"

Shen Wang, with a look of disgust, avoided the teary-eyed chubby boy and said to Chou Yin and others, "Get ready to form the array."

The ones previously appointed by Shen Wang steadied their hearts, exchanged glances, and got up to proceed.

Shen Wang, unfazed by the continuously colliding, dismembered, and terrifying evil spirits outside, stepped forward with the painstakingly refined Sumeru stone in hand.

"Stand in the formation as I instruct!" Shen Wang shouted. "Some evil aura will enter your bodies, don't be afraid, it won't harm you!"

Luo Tian, always with a sharp tongue, blurted out, "Evil aura entering our bodies, can we even survive that... and if something happens, you can't provide after-sales service."

Shen Wang replied with a smirk, "Then you might as well sit here and wait for death."

Luo Tian: "..."

Muttering under his breath, Luo Tian said, "I was just saying, no need to be so aggressive."

Shen Wang ignored him and turned to Gu Dongting, "I need your help."

Gu Dongting, the strongest among them and the key to the array, nodded with a gaze sharp as a sword, commanding and unapproachable.

Under Shen Wang's direction, everyone channeled their spiritual energy into the talismans, activating the array. A faint white light shone, like dazzling stars, connecting patterns in the air that converged at Gu Dongting.

Shen Wang, standing at the center of the group, looked around and chuckled, "If I fail, everyone here will die... Surely no one is foolish enough to sabotage me, right?"

The middle-aged judge, who had a dispute with Shen Wang, darkened his face: "You! How dare you! Do you think I am that kind of person?"

Shen Wang simply smiled without a word.

A few judges exchanged glances, and the most esteemed among them, Elder Bai, spoke up: "Rest assured, Shen Xiao-you, we will protect the law for you!"

Only then did Shen Wang smile and say, "How could I not trust you all? Everyone here is a respected figure in the cultivation world, and I, a mere nobody, couldn't possibly question the elders present."

As he spoke, he threw out a few talismans to protect the outside of the array.

The middle-aged judge became furious: "We all promised to protect you, and yet you still use talismans for protection. Who are you guarding against?"

Elder Bai also twitched his mouth, laughing awkwardly: "No, no, Shen Xiao-you is exceptionally talented. Although young, his future is brighter than us old folks, he has great potential."

Shen Wang felt no guilt about being cautious in front of others, quite frankly, he was both afraid of death and didn't trust these people.

Besides... Shen Wang's gaze swept over Tang Jiu in the crowd, there was also a 'main character' here, full of destiny and ambition.

After everything was prepared, Shen Wang abruptly waved his hand and shouted, "Focus!"

At the same time, the Sumeru stone in his hand burst into a dazzling green light, and the surrounding black evil aura and resentment, like a vortex, twisted and converged into a stream, reluctantly entering the Sumeru stone.

The dense, almost tangible evil resentment washing over the array made the outside talismans tremble on the brink of collapse, terrifying everyone watching.

But soon, several strands of resentment split off and seeped into the bodies of those forming the array. The intrusion of the evil aura, vastly different from spiritual energy, caused intense pain in their meridians and contorted their faces in agony.

Only Gu Dongting remained composed, even though he absorbed the most evil aura.

"It works! It really works!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

The previously despairing crowd couldn't help but feel hopeful: it seemed that relying on Shen Wang was more dependable than waiting for outside rescue, which was uncertain.

The diversion of the evil aura significantly reduced the difficulty of maintaining the protective shield, and the judges finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Elder Bai looked on with a complex expression: "What exactly is the background of this young man..."

Such terror.

The middle-aged judge also murmured to himself, "What kind of monster has emerged from where..."

Both heard each other's doubts and exchanged a look, simultaneously thinking of the same place.

"A hidden sect?"

For hundreds of years, with the nation in turmoil and the spiritual energy of the world becoming polluted, even the polluted spiritual energy became scarce. The cultivators who walked in the mortal world were far weaker than their ancestors.

But there were some sects that chose to retreat from the world and live in seclusion on spiritual mountains a thousand years ago.

These hidden sects sealed off an entire spiritual mountain's energy, cultivating in isolation, far surpassing the strength of ordinary cultivators in the secular world.

Elder Bai remained puzzled: "Those sects, they wouldn't come down from the mountains even if their country fell and their homes were destroyed. Why would they suddenly appear? Is something significant about to happen?"

The middle-aged judge frowned: "Maybe, he snuck out without his elders knowing."

Suppressing their worries, the two turned their attention to Shen Wang.

"How can such a small place have such intense malevolent energy!" Shen Wang's eyes also revealed confusion, "What exactly have those damned fools been raising here!"

Or rather, what exactly are they planning to do!

As he pondered, a sudden pain in his dantian made him hiss softly. He realized he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

If the rest only absorbed a few strands of evil aura, then Shen Wang, as the center of the formation, bore the brunt of the malevolent energy overflowing from the Sumeru stone.

This evil aura, transformed by the formation, could be absorbed by cultivators but was extremely brutal, easily provoking a cultivator's violent tendencies and leading them towards demonic paths.

Normally, other cultivators would store it in their dantian first and refine it slowly over time, opting for a steady approach.

Shen Wang's eyes flickered; he also sought stability... but he was more willing to take a risk.

Diverting another stream of purified evil aura from the Sumeru stone, Shen Wang took a deep breath and pushed it all into his dantian, the violent aura rampaging through his body.

His dantian and meridians were torn apart by the evil aura, and beads of blood oozed from his skin, staining his clothes red, presenting a horrifying sight.

The others forming the array were startled.

Distracted, they allowed the raging evil aura to take advantage, and everyone simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood.

At this critical moment, they felt the pressure on them suddenly lessen, and a cold voice commanded.

"Don't get distracted!"

It was Gu Dongting!

Gu Dongting's voice steadied everyone, and they quickly closed their eyes, focusing solely on circulating their spiritual energy and resisting the intense pain from their meridians.

After calming the others, Gu Dongting, in an angle hidden from view, also had a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

He turned his head and wiped the blood with his shoulder, his gaze falling on Shen Wang, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

He had noticed Shen Wang's abnormality before anyone else did. At this critical moment, Gu Dongting had no other choice but to take on as much of the malevolent energy as possible for Shen Wang.

Suddenly, the Shen Wang he saw in his vision slowly transformed, taking on a familiar yet strange appearance...

As Gu Dongting's gaze shifted, that familiar face began to move, smirking wickedly as if looking at an insignificant ant: "Gu Dongting, you are nothing but a self-righteous hypocrite..."

"Your parents, friends, even your beloved sister and fiancée died because of you. What's the point of someone like you living..."

Parents? Dead? Sister and fiancée?

Gu Dongting couldn't understand what the other was saying, but an uncontrollable killing intent rose in his heart. He stared intently at the figure, his life-bound sword stirring restlessly.

That face suddenly appeared, then disappeared.

Gu Dongting faintly felt as though he was seeing hallucinations.

The swollen, lifeless face of his brother, a white spirit hall filled with eyes, the coffins of his grandparents with their ashen faces, and his parents lying in a pool of blood.

Everything ended with a massive fire that consumed the Gu family's ancestral home.

Amidst the roaring flames, through the leaping fire, he saw that face again. Beside it were the triumphant Wei family and his panic-stricken third uncle's family.

His eyes stung from the blazing fire, and with a metallic sound of a sword's cry, a pitch-black life-bound sword broke through the air, firmly grasped in his hand.

Kill!

It felt as if another self within Gu Dongting was about to burst forth, but he suddenly looked at Shen Wang beside him. Gripping his sword tightly, his spiritual energy flowed uninterrupted, not affecting the operation of the formation in the slightest.

Although Shen Wang was covered in blood, his expression was remarkably calm, showing no sign of pain.

Gu Dongting gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the murderous intent stirred by the evil aura: Behind him was Shen Wang, he must not... he absolutely must not falter at this moment!

The others didn't realize how perilous the situation had just been. They only saw Shen Wang suddenly covered in blood, followed by Gu Dongting spitting blood.

The rest of them were shocked and exchanged frightened glances, "What happened? Why are they both spitting blood?"

"I don't know..."

The chubby boy, however, was quite composed: "It's okay, it's okay. Shen Ge can handle it! We have to believe in Shen Ge!"

Bai Fuchun's gaze fixed on Chou Yin, filled with immense sorrow, "Why isn't it over yet..."

Amidst everyone's speculations, a sudden thunderclap resonated, and a bright light erupted within the black malevolent aura.

The chubby boy tilted his head in confusion: "What's that?"

The others gasped in shock, and Bai Fuchun exclaimed, "Who the hell is attempting foundation building at this time!"

Everyone was incredulous, their gazes searching around before finally resting on Shen Wang.

"Has he gone mad? Attempting foundation building now!"

It was said that in ancient times, foundation building was the entry to cultivation, but in today's world, with the spiritual energy not as abundant as before, who doesn't build their foundation under the protection of their sect's elders, surrounded by various treasures brimming with spiritual energy, and with countless medicinal pills at hand?

How dare he attempt foundation building in this place filled with evil aura, almost devoid of spiritual energy, and fraught with danger!

Elder Bai's face was filled with shock, he chastised in distress, "Reckless! Utterly reckless!"

Being able to build a foundation in today's cultivation world signified formidable strength. Shen Wang, still so young, could almost certainly look forward to immense growth potential in his future!

Such a genius, yet his actions are so unconventional... The only consolation is that given his youth, even if this attempt at foundation building fails, there will still be other opportunities in the future.

Unlike Elder Bai's deep concern, the middle-aged judge was worried about something else: "Such a young talent, if something goes wrong on our turf, I wonder how his sect would react..."

Thinking about the power of those hidden sects, the middle-aged judge felt a chill down his spine; those people are not known for their reasonableness!

Shen Wang was unaware of what others were thinking; he was focused on circulating his spiritual energy, enduring his meridians being torn and repaired repeatedly.

His three life-bound little swords were happily roaming through the violent spiritual energy, not only adapting well but also subduing the rebellious energy.

With the efforts of Shen Wang himself, his life-bound swords, and the Xuan Jade Immortal Book, the chaotic energy became tame, just a bit more vivacious than ordinary spiritual energy.

As more energy was tamed, Shen Wang's cultivation level steadily increased.

From the mid-stage of Qi refining, to the late stage, and then to the peak... foundation building!

With a thunderous boom, Shen Wang felt the spiritual energy in his dantian surge, enveloped by familiar destinies.

Having already built his foundation once in the cultivation world, Shen Wang expertly absorbed these destinies, the marks of this small world, representing the cultivator's original essence, linking him closely to this world.

If this small world were to perish, the cultivator would suffer greatly, possibly even leading to the end of their cultivation path.

But... Shen Wang felt that this world's destiny seemed incomplete, perhaps due to it being an end-of-days world.

If the cultivation world's destiny was like a fragrant, ripe apple, this world's destiny was like an apple gnawed by a rat, not only unsightly but seemingly missing a piece.

Shen Wang didn't understand, and he was greatly shocked.

But he had no choice; without building a foundation, he would be trapped in this small world, unable to leave; to leave, he must build his foundation... an inescapable loop.

Shen Wang sighed heavily, resigned to his fate in his native world. After all, a son doesn't find his mother ugly; what else could he do but endure?

Needing a vast amount of spiritual energy after the breakthrough, Shen Wang stopped pondering over it and focused on absorbing the malevolent energy.

The three little swords and the Xuan Jade Immortal Book, like him, were frantically devouring all the spiritual energy, resembling hungry ghosts who hadn't eaten for generations, now feasting ravenously, not caring whether they could digest it all.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the malevolent energy around them lessened. Shen Wang opened his eyes to find daylight breaking, which wasn't surprising to him. However, turning around, he was met with a circle of shining eyes.

Shen Wang: "???"

His first reaction was to check the simple talisman array he had set up. Assured of its safety, he then lazily asked, "What are you all doing? Watching a monkey show?"

"Shen Ge, I won't allow you to call yourself a monkey," the chubby boy said earnestly. "Shen Ge, have you built your foundation now? Are you a foundation-building big shot?!"

Shen Wang: "..."

Amused and exasperated, Shen Wang responded, "Just for that, you all gathered around me like I'm a monkey on display?"

The chubby boy was about to jump in with more flattery, but Shen Wang looked at the others within the array, noticing everyone but Gu Dongting with their eyes tightly shut, evidently greatly benefiting.

With hardly any malevolent energy left, Shen Wang thought for a moment and retracted the floating Sumeru stone into his palm. The remaining wisps of malevolent energy, now purified through the operation of the array, were directly transmitted to the others.

Gu Dongting, assured of Shen Wang's wellbeing, let out a weary breath.

Soon, the ancient battlefield, previously shrouded in thick fog, was left with only faint mist that dissipated in the sunlight.

Shen Wang then asked in confusion, "If the malevolent energy is gone, what about the evil spirits?"

Malevolent energy and evil spirits complement each other; the spirits grow stronger in the presence of malevolent energy, and the energy intensifies with the spirits.

But they are separate entities. With the malevolent energy gone, where did the evil spirits go... Why can't I see any now?

The chubby boy excitedly explained, "Without the malevolent energy to hide them, the big shots who came to support from outside could start capturing the spirits! An inside-outside cooperation quickly dealt with those spirits!"

The chubby boy was thrilled to see these legendary figures, feeling even being trapped in the malevolent energy was worth it!

As they talked, Shen Wang noticed more people around them, some familiar, some strangers.

Without malevolent energy flowing in, the array slowly lost its power. The jade talismans fell to the ground, losing their luster, and the others in the array finally opened their eyes.

Luo Tian was the most excited, "I've advanced! I'm in the late stage of Qi refining now!"

Chou Yin, embracing Bai Fuchun who rushed into his arms, also had a gleam in his eye: "I've made gains as well."

Lin Le Liu, more reserved, approached an elder and restrained his excitement. After calling out "Master," he reported, "Master, the bottleneck I was stuck at for so long, I've finally broken through!"

Hearing their words, those who were secretly observing Shen Wang could no longer contain themselves and swarmed towards him.

"Shen Daoist, how did you enhance his strength?"

"Shen Daoist, I'm willing to pay ten million for your method!"

"Twenty million! No, thirty million! I'll offer thirty million for you to sell me this method..."

Shen Wang was about to refuse, but hearing these offers, he couldn't help but be tempted for a moment: It seemed these big shots from the metaphysical world had already investigated him, how could he refuse now!

"Enough!" Amidst the chaotic scene, someone shouted sternly, calming the excited crowd, "Such behavior is unbecoming of cultivators!"

This person appeared to have great authority, and his words immediately quieted the bustling environment.

Shen Wang narrowed his eyes, curious to see how high these people would bid... Was this newcomer trying to intervene and drive the price down?

Shen Wang was displeased and ready to retort: "Cultivators are also human, and humans have desires and emotions. Uncle, you should practice self-discipline but be more lenient with others, don’t you think?"

Some around him gasped softly. The person standing behind Shen Wang tugged at his clothes covertly. Shen Wang turned to see the chubby boy's face filled with horror.

Shen Wang disdainfully pulled back his clothes, scrutinizing the man up and down.

The man had a stern, upright appearance, clear-eyed, seemingly a good person. But appearances can be deceiving; who says a good person can't be greedy for money?

No matter who you are, trying to lower my price is out of the question. Shen Wang lifted his chin, smilingly inquired, "So, which sect's leader are you? Or perhaps a chairman of the Metaphysical Society? Regardless of your identity, we are not acquainted here, so let's follow my rules, shall we?"

Faced with Shen Wang's blatantly disrespectful attitude, the man was silent for a few seconds before looking past Shen Wang, "Is this the friend you mentioned?"

Confused, Shen Wang followed the man's gaze to the chubby boy behind him: "Is this your dad? You don't look anything alike..."

The chubby boy, amused and exasperated, pointed to someone beside him, coughing softly with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

Shen Wang turned in the new direction and saw Gu Dongting, calm and stern.

Gu Dongting nodded towards the man, addressing him, "Uncle."

Shen Wang's expression blanked for a moment. He looked back and forth between Gu Dongting and the man a few times, then repeated like a parrot: "Uncle?!"

Gu Dongting, with a look of resignation, stepped beside Gu Shanhe and introduced, "Shen Wang, this is my uncle."

Gu Shanhe added coldly, "The patriarch of the Gu family."

Shen Wang: "..."

Shen Wang, feeling numb to the surprise, chuckled awkwardly, "Uncle, you should have said so earlier. If I had known you were Dongting's elder, I certainly would have..."

Everyone looked at Shen Wang, waiting for the rest of his sentence.

Would he give the method away for free?

Shen Wang dryly continued, "I would have... well, just called you uncle. And if you're buying my method, I can at least give you a discount... no, I mean a 5% discount."

The bystanders rolled their eyes in unison upon hearing this.

Having heard that Shen Wang was a cultivator fond of worldly possessions, some had been skeptical, but now seeing him giving even his best friend’s elders only a 5% discount, it was clear he really loved money and was indeed miserly.

Although Shen Wang usually had a thick skin, for some reason, he now felt embarrassed. He moved subtly behind Gu Dongting, giving him a look that said: save me, save me.

It was an utterly awkward situation.

Gu Dongting looked at him amusedly, still stepping forward to shield him from his uncle's icy glare.

Gu Dongting had already noticed the arrival of Gu Shanhe, and before him, even Grandpa Gu had come.

It seemed the artificial disruption of the ancient battlefield was a significant event, almost stirring the entire metaphysical community. A quick scan by Gu Dongting revealed many recognizable figures in the metaphysical world.

Taking advantage of everyone's presence, Gu Dongting truthfully reported his findings from inside the ancient battlefield and presented the deliberately destroyed talismanic jade stone to Gu Shanhe: "Uncle, this is what I found underground."

After a careful inspection, Gu Shanhe casually passed it to someone beside him.

The person who received it frowned, feeling the stone several times, a chill settling in his heart: "These are traces of deliberate sabotage."

He passed it to the next person, and after all the relevant people had seen it, the atmosphere at the site became thoroughly somber.

Gu Dongting, unfazed, continued, "Now that there’s a problem with this ancient battlefield, it’s unknown what’s happening with the others."

That was the real issue!

Now knowing that foreigners were causing trouble within the country was one thing, but with the enemy hidden and us exposed, these foreigners wouldn't have any mercy on the land and people of China...

Everyone dared not imagine the immense destructive power these hidden worms could unleash if they went berserk.

"Damn it," someone cursed under their breath, "Today, it’s just an insignificant ancient battlefield."

Gu Shanhe’s face was extremely grim too.

The eruption at this ancient battlefield had been too sudden. It was filled with young talents participating in a competition, surrounded by cultivators, and yet, it caught everyone off guard... The most terrifying part was that even the arrival of the judges couldn’t resolve the situation.

It must be noted that these judges, even if not the absolute top cultivators in the country, were still well-known figures of the upper echelons, yet they were powerless to resist.

When Gu Shanhe arrived, he brought with him the elite of the metaphysical world, but they too were helpless, only able to seal the evil energy at its source to prevent it from harming ordinary people.

Had the malevolent energy not started dissipating from within, it’s uncertain when the issue could have been resolved... The chances of survival for those trapped inside were slim.

Thinking this, Gu Shanhe's thoughts raced, and he suddenly looked towards Gu Dongting, or more precisely, towards Shen Wang standing behind him!

The others also caught on, barely concealing their excitement, "Shen, do you have a method to purify this ancient battlefield?"

It's said that constant vigilance against thieves is unsustainable; rather than worrying about other ancient battlefields, it’s better to purify them all now.

The lack of prior purification was not for want of desire, but due to inability.

Shen Wang scratched his head, "Maybe... probably... could be..."

His ambiguous attitude made everyone anxious, "Either you can or you can't, what's with the hemming and hawing!"

"Exactly, if you can purify one ancient battlefield, there’s no reason you can't do the same for others!"

"This is about saving countless ordinary people, not the time to be secretive!"

Shen Wang was fine until he heard the last part; leaning lazily against Gu Dongting, he looked at the speaker, "Are you trying to morally blackmail me?"

The person paused, then stiffened his neck, "This is about millions of lives! Are you really going to just stand by and do nothing?"

This was indeed moral blackmail. Shen Wang smiled, "Sorry, I lack a sense of morality."

After a pause, he sized the person up and down, adding ominously, "But reviving my sense of morality is quite simple."

The person felt a chill down their spine and asked cautiously, "I'm not sure about the strength of your sect, but how about this: give me everything your sect owns, including but not limited to your houses, mountain peaks, various treasures, and spiritual plants... As for your disciples, I won't take them."

"You can still take your people and start over somewhere else." Having said that, Shen Wang looked at him with a smile, appearing exceptionally kind, "Isn't it a simple request? You can do it, right?"

The other party, infuriated by Shen Wang's casual words, exclaimed, "What do you mean! You're trying to destroy our sect! Utterly unreasonable and excessively greedy!"

Shen Wang feigned shock, demanding loudly, "This is a matter concerning the lives of millions of ordinary people, and you're being so heartless, callous, and inhumane!"

The person's face stiffened, and they were rendered speechless.

Seeing this, others quietly abandoned their opportunistic intentions and distanced themselves from the speaker, "Shen, if you have any difficulties, you can tell us. We'll try our best to fulfill them."

With Shen Wang's personality, as long as there was enough benefit, nothing was impossible! That's what people who knew him a little thought.

Shen Wang sighed deeply, "This isn't something money can solve."

Gu Shanhe, picking up on the undertones of the conversation, interjected, "We can increase the payment!"

Shen Wang wanted to say it really wasn't about money, but since it was Gu Dongting's uncle speaking, he could only sigh deeply and explain, "This method requires something extremely important."

"The entire cultivation world combined cannot match its value."

It was the Xumi Stone! Even if it were in the Immortal Realm, it was one of the most precious treasures, rare and highly sought after.

Not just in this minor world of the Dharma-ending age, even in the cultivation world, it was something that could lead to rivers of blood.

What could be so valuable? The others were skeptical, thinking Shen Wang was just inflating the price.

Shen Wang spoke slowly, "I'm a worldly person; I too want to save those people, but I'm not willing to give something for nothing."

His words were straightforward, and everyone understood clearly: this guy was indeed looking to raise the price!

Someone's face twisted for a moment, wanting to say, 'Just raise the price and stop with all the pretense,' startling everyone.

Gu Dongting, however, had no doubt about Shen Wang's words. He looked at Shen Wang, barely hiding his pain, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.

Even with the heartache and reluctance, he never thought of hiding anything...

Shen Wang. Gu Dongting's eyes lowered, and unbeknownst to him, his gaze softened for someone for the first time.

While others were still busily bidding, Shen Wang glanced around and, upon unexpectedly seeing a familiar face, exclaimed with surprise, "Hey! You actually didn’t run away!"

Everyone else jumped, following Shen Wang's gaze with confusion.

Shen Wang smiled mischievously, "My friend, didn’t we make a bet… If I manage to eliminate the evil energy, you have to kneel and kowtow to me. Are you planning to go back on your word?"

It was the chaos of breaking the formation that had made Shen Wang forget about this matter, but seeing that person now reminded him.

The middle-aged judge from Baiyun Temple, under everyone's gaze, turned red with embarrassment, "I... you... Shen Daoist friend..."

He wanted to accuse Shen Wang of nonsense, to gloss over these matters, but with so many people present, all of China depending on Shen Wang, he dared not back out.